Blems not really blems?

dirtiestkidever

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My wife is getting an MBA right now and she told me that it is very common for companies to sell products as 'factory seconds' and 'refurbished' that are actually brand new and have no flaw. This allows them to sell more products than they otherwise would by offering their product at multiple price points. When she told me this I couldn't help but think of my factory second Pono (which looks perfect to me) as well as all of the UU posts saying that they can't find the issue with their factory seconds. Perhaps factory seconds are an even better deal that we think?
 
Very interesting. I find the opposite to be true, though: there's a flaw, somewhere, on every single uke :rolleyes:
 
Haha. I know how you would describe a pint glass with half a pint of water in it. ;)
 
Haha. I know how you would describe a pint glass with half a pint of water in it. ;)

With water, it's half full. With beer or wine, it's half empty. ;-)
 
I may be wrong, but I believe this is what KoAloha does with the ukes it sells out of it's factory shop.

I bought a concert several years back, and I have never been able to find a thing wrong with it.
 
I bought a Lanikai monkeypod blem on eBay. Photos showed the flaws, a slight discoloring on the back of the head piece, a slight gap in the binding on the back, and one more thing I can't even remember now. When it arrived, I examined it closely, those flaws are so minuscule, without knowing where they are, I would never have guessed. I got it for $114, new it's around $350.
 
Very interesting. I find the opposite to be true, though: there's a flaw, somewhere, on every single uke :rolleyes:

^^This is true^^

We sell seconds sometimes because of a minor cosmetic thing but most of what we list in this category was just flagged in setup. We return a lot and I figure sometimes I will save the company trouble and give the less picky guys a good deal, and we might hardly make out but I think it's for the greater good. We have paid many a return label for some very tiny stuff. I respect whatever a customer wants to do.
 
I bought a blemished soprano from the fine ohano at KoAloha. There is a small press mark and tiny knot on the peghead. So what if my 'uke isn't perfect - neither is my playing. I saved almost enough money for a round-trip airfare to HI that I'll use this winter.
 
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My Lanikai Monkeypod uke came with a crack where the pickup was installed and I bought it from HMS for 300 and something dollars. It wasn't marked down as a factory second but seeing as how the price of the Monkey pods in Australia costed 600 dollars at the time, I was still getting a hell of a great deal. Not sure if this story is considered a 'factory second' story but I'd say it's close.
 
I respect whatever a customer wants to do.

In that case, I'd like a Kanile'a GL6 please. I'd like you to ship it to me, and I'll pay for it in 20 years. :)
 
I have a friend who got one of those Butler Music Lanikai LU21B "blem" ukes off ebay and it is perfect. I have suspected the same thing the original posted shared, another way to liquidate.
 
I've -never- purchased a new instrument.

Any new instruments were gifts or for review.

There's no reason to fear B-stock unless you're buying blind from a sketchy place ;-)
 
Let him without blemishes...

Why should imperfect people expect to have perfect ukes?:iwant:
 
We sell seconds sometimes because of a minor cosmetic thing but most of what we list in this category was just flagged in setup. We return a lot and I figure sometimes I will save the company trouble and give the less picky guys a good deal, and we might hardly make out but I think it's for the greater good. We have paid many a return label for some very tiny stuff. I respect whatever a customer wants to do.

Interesting. So you are saying that during the setup process you notice some small blemish? Can you give us an idea of what types of blemishes you see? I am very curious about what is 'wrong' with these ukes (especially since they are the ones I typically try to purchase).
 
I would suspect this would be true for industries that deal in immense volume, large scale, and not the ukulele "industry."
 
I've talked to Koaloha about the factory second I bought from them and what they consider a blemish is perfectly fine in my view.

I agree with Capitan America.
 
Ah, kindling. We're always looking for that in New England this time of year:)

Duk
 
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